Britannia Radio

Navy Commander to soldiers: “Act with judgment and accomplish the mission” IDF Spokesperson 27 May 2010 , 11:39 Maj. Gen. Marom required soldiers not to be dragged into provocations while fulfilling their mission. Moreover, the flotilla will have the opportunity to stop its journey to Gaza’s shores at several stages; otherwise the passengers will be escorted into Israel’s shores and deported to their country of origin. The aid brought by the flotilla will be transferred into the Gaza Strip after a security check. According to the decision made by the Israeli government, the IDF and the Israeli Navy are getting prepared to prevent the flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza. The flotilla’s passengers will be given the opportunity to turn back at any stage of their trip or to give up the control of their ships. From the moment of their departure, the ships will receive formal warnings at various stages of their journey, requesting them to stop their trip to Gaza’s shores. Should the passengers decide to continue the journey and not take the Israeli Navy’s warning into consideration, they will be arrested, brought to Israel’s shores and transferred to the Ministry of Interior and the immigration authorities so they can be sent back to their country of origin. The security forces will grab hold of the aid expected to be brought to Gaza by the flotilla, and after a security check of the goods, they will be transferred into the Gaza Strip. During the last few days, the Commander of the Navy, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom organized a series of exercises, consisting in stopping the flotilla, gaining control over the ships and brining them to Israel’s shores. He stressed that during the operations, Israeli forces will take all the required steps in order to protect the soldiers’ lives, and make sure that no terrorist agents have been infiltrated into the ships. Maj. Gen. Marom instructed his forces not to be dragged into provocations and act with fair judgment; otherwise it could be harmful to the mission’s accomplishment. He also said to his men that there is no intention to cause any harm among the hundreds of people expected to arrive on these ships, however a clear mission has be assigned to the Israeli Navy and it has to be accomplished.